No. 46Creative Controls
Endorsement Approval
Also called brand deal approval, sponsorship rights, endorsement rights, brand partnership
Who controls your right to enter brand deals, sponsorships, and endorsements.
High risk
Label approval rights over endorsements can block lucrative deals or extract a commission from independently originated income.
- Appears in
- 360 Deal, Recording Agreement, Management Agreement
- Topic
- Brand & Marketing
- Jurisdiction
- United States
- Reviewed
- July 2026
In plain English
Endorsement approval covers brand partnerships, sponsorships, product placement, and advertising campaigns that use your image or likeness. In 360 deals, the label may have a right to approve, commission, or take a share of any endorsement deal you independently source.
Why it matters
Brand deals can be significant income sources. A label that can block or take a commission from independently originated endorsements reduces your revenue and creative autonomy in building commercial partnerships.
Where it can land
The same clause is drafted three ways. These are the positions we see, worst first, so you can tell at a glance which one is in front of you.
- Label's approval required for all endorsements and brand partnerships
- Label takes 15%+ commission on independently originated brand deals
- Label can commit the artist to endorsements without consent
- Label takes a commission on brand deals it directly sources (common, but negotiate the rate)
- Broad definition of 'endorsement' includes social media posts and appearances
- Artist has final approval over all brand partnerships
- No label commission on independently originated deals
- Label commission capped at 15% for deals it directly sourced
The language
The drafting language and the negotiation moves for this clause are part of the workspace.
You have read what the clause means and where the risk sits. The rest is the side-by-side of how it reads when it is against you and when it is not, plus the specific moves that get it there.